Numerous industries use tubes, vials, and similar sample containing devices for collecting samples, storing samples, and later testing samples. For example, in the medical and forensic fields, test tubes with stoppers or caps and/or vials with stoppers or caps are regularly used for collecting samples such as urine samples, blood samples, tissue samples, etc., and storing such samples for later testing of the samples. In addition, tubes and vials with stoppers or caps are also often used as culture tubes in biology for handling and culturing all kinds of live organisms such as molds, bacteria, seedlings, plant cuttings, etc. Tubes and vials are also used in the chemical industry field for storing, handling, and/or testing all kinds of chemicals in a variety of forms such as solids, liquids, and gas.
In practice, a great deal of time and effort can be expended in sorting and orientating such tubes and/or vials for further use and processing. For example, if many tubes and/or vials of various sizes containing different samples are mixed together or stored together, these tubes and/or vials must be separated in order to ensure that further appropriate processing is performed on the samples contained in the various tubes and/or vials. In another example, if numerous samples are collected at the same time in various sizes of tubes and/or vials and are later required to be stored in different storage environments, the tubes and/or vials must be separated and may need to be properly oriented for appropriate storage. In still another example, a number of various sized empty tubes and/or vials may need to be separated and orientated in preparation for sample collection and/or storage.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and apparatus for separating and orientating sample containers, such as tubes and vials, for example, that is capable of efficiently and effectively sorting and aligning the sample containers.